The Sound of Drums
by Star-GoddessZ
Summary: Youko is a separate entity that exists inside Suichi, a proud and deadly fox.  Bakura similarly exists inside Ryou, and a clashing of these two demons lead to an unlikely partnership and an unraveling plot unlike what Domino has ever seen. YxB, KxR, HxK


"A-ahh!" Suichi Minamono cried out as there suddenly came from behind him a boy who knocked his books to the floor. "H-hey!"

There was laughter, and Suichi found himself surrounded by hostile-looking characters, all male students in the second year. They stared cruelly at the red-haired boy.

"Yes? . . . May I help you?" Suichi asked curtly, with a hint of annoyance. He bent over to retrieve his books. He gave another cry as one of them kicked him, and he fell to the floor. "A-ah!"

"Look at him. So weak and girly," one of them said; the one that had just knocked the red-haired boy over. "What does Karin see in _her_?" he spat, mocking Suichi by using a feminine pronoun.

Another boy murmured in agreement, and grabbed Suichi's long hair. "He looks like a delicate little girl!" Kurama winced as the boy gave a hard yank on his hair. "And Toko was going nuts over him, like he was a stud or something! But he's not. He's just a freak, just like that Bakura kid in 118." The others nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they're both fags," another said. There was laughter.

"Cross-dressing letches! Long-haired perverts!"

Suichi ignored their hurtful invective.

"How about a haircut, little girl?" One of them said in a mock-baby voice, and Suichi's hair was pulled again. "We could collect Bakura and let him join in," they laughed.

Suichi's legendary patience was wearing thin. "Let go!" He snapped, trying to pull his hair out of the boy's hands. "I have no time for this nonsense!" If he didn't get away from the students soon, he might do something he might regret later on, like summon an Other-World plant to devour them. . . .

He froze when he heard the sound of a pair of scissors being brandished. They weren't serious . . . .!

"Ready for your trim?" The offending scissors were waved in front of his face. "Don't worry, we'll make you manly again," he laughed cruelly.

Suddenly there was a loud 'thud!' and the boy that held Suichi's hair yelled out in pain. He let go of Suichi's hair, which the red-haired boy didn't waste by staying still. Forgetting his books, he sprang up and put some distance between him and the group of cursing boys.

Then, surveying the scene from a safe distance, he gasped as he saw a student with long white hair throwing insults and heavy books at the second-year boys, who were trying their best to avoid the heavy volumes careening for their heads and make comebacks at the same time. Suichi distantly realized that the student who had been yanking his hair had gotten a book to the head, which explained the 'thud' sound. That thought made the red-haired boy want to laugh.

Finally, the students couldn't stand the abuse any longer.

"Let's get out of here! Who cares about stupid fags anyway?" There was quick agreement, and they all fled.

Suichi turned to the white-haired student, who was still yelling insults at the boys' retreating backs.

"That's what I thought; walk away, you stupid prats! Go pick on small defenseless children; they'd be more of a match for you!"

Suichi's eyes widened briefly as he realized the long-haired student was in fact a boy—he remembered when the bullies had brought up a boy named Bakura, and Suichi automatically assumed this was him.

"Sorry about those guys . . . not exactly a warm welcoming committee, that's for sure . . . but don't worry about them. One good smack on the head takes care of everything," the snowy-haired boy said kindly, tossing a large book—his last one—up playfully and catching it again. Suichi smiled at the student.

"Thank you. I thought I was real trouble there, for a moment," he said back, leaning down to pick up one of the student's books. He handed it over.

"Thanks. I'm Ryou, by the way. Ryou Bakura," the white-haired boy introduced, and Suichi silently affirmed that his assumption about this boy being Bakura was correct.

"Suichi Minamono. Very nice to meet you, Bakura-san," Suichi said politely. He started collecting his own books. Ryou bent down to help.

"Please, I hate my surname . . . call me Ryou, I don't mind. And may I call you Suichi?" Ryou asked, handing a pile of books to Suichi. The crimson-locked boy thought a moment, and said, "Of course."

They had each finished collecting their respective books and now stood facing each other awkwardly.

"Ahem . . . well, you're new here, right? What year are you?" Ryou inquired politely.

"Second year."

"Wonderful! And I as well. What's your homeroom?"

Suichi took out his schedule. "114."

Ryou's face fell slightly. "Oh. My homeroom is—"

"One-eighteen." Suichi interjected, remembering the bullies talking. Ryou looked surprised.

"Yes!"

Suddenly, the first bell chimed, and Ryou looked flustered. "Oh no, I'll be late! Suichi-kun, if you're not busy at lunch hour, can I meet up with you somewhere? I'll introduce you to some of my friends!"

Suichi nodded. "I'd like that very much," he said kindly, and, quickly deciding the time and place of their meeting, they both left for homeroom.

'_Ryou-san seems very nice . . . he fearlessly stood up against those bullies for me, whom he didn't even know! He probably gets teased a lot by those bullies, so I guess he would know how to handle them. . .' _

Smiling brightly, he went to start afresh at his new school. _'I am glad to be friends with Ryou Bakura!'_

* * *

><p>Ryou walked into his homeroom, bearing a bright smile. Finally, another boy with long hair, like him! He was excited at becoming friends with the red-haired boy.<p>

'_He's really nice, and he looks like someone I'll get along with very well!'_

_Now, now, Brightside. Don't get excited so soon—you don't know if he's really interested in being your friend or not,_ came a voice deep within his consciousness. Ryou smiled at the warm feeling of his Dark side coming out to talk with him.

'_Aww, don't say that! I think he does, and why wouldn't he? He has no friends no, does he? He was just getting bullied, so it's a safe bet that answer is no,'_ Ryou stated logically, somewhat put-off by his Dark side's pessimism. _'I'm the first one to approach him! And I have long hair, like he does, so I can relate to him!'_

Ryou felt his Dark side roll his eyes, and say sarcastically, _Of course, because the hair makes all the difference._

Ryou laughed softly, but soon swallowed his mirth as his Dark side became suddenly very serious. All emotions stopped flowing through the link, yet the link had not been severed. _'Dark side?. . .What's the matter?'_

_I must get serious for a moment;_ the deep voice started, _and tell you what I felt._ Ryou was confused.

'_Felt? What did you feel?'_

_That's just it. I do not know, but whatever it was it seemed to come from this 'Suichi' person you have just met. It wasn't anything defined . . . but it was there,_ the Dark side explained, and concern started seeping through the link. _There is something strange about that boy; promise me you'll be careful._

Ryou rolled his eyes, thinking his darker side was being too overprotective. _'Yes,__Mother, I'll be careful.'_

Ryou felt a hint of annoyance that wasn't his own. _I'm serious, Brightside—I may not know what it is I felt, but you must remember I haven't felt _**anything**_coming off of _**anybody**_ since I was a dog demon in the Makai._

This statement gave Ryou pause. _'The Makai? The 'Other World' you're always talking about?'_ He gasped. _'Do you think Suichi is a demon, like you?'_

_I just don't know. . ._ There was a slight indication of nervousness coming from his Darker side's link, and he let some concern of his own seep through. _I'm fine. It's just. . .The Makai brings back too many sore memories. . .So to think a demon could be here, close to my precious Light. . .it makes me nervous,_ the Darker said, holding back none of his emotions. Ryou was truly touched.

'_Bakura. . .seriously, I promise to be careful. I have nothing to worry about, with you near me,'_ he said brightly, making sure the dog demon inside of him knew of his trust.

Bakura didn't need to say anything else; Ryou felt him slip back into the darkness. _'Goodbye. . .'_

The last bell rang, and Ryou began what was to be an . . . . interesting day.

* * *

><p>Suichi stood awkwardly by a giant oak tree on the school campus; clutching his lunch tin tightly in both hands and searching for white hair. . .<p>

'_He's over ten minutes late . . . perhaps he forgot about me? Or maybe something came up . . . the lunch period will be over soon . . . should I just eat without him?'_

To say that Suichi was disappointed was an understatement—he had been so grateful for Ryou's kindness, since it had been the first he had received all day, and had been looking forward to meeting the gentle boy here.

'_I wouldn't be too disappointed, Suichi. He seemed like an airhead to me anyway.'_

Suichi jumped about three feet in the air. _'Y-Youko?'_

'_Since when have you turned into such a clingy girl, Suichi? You don't need friends; you're used to not having them anyway. Why the change of tune?'_

Suichi was a little shaken. Usually, he never even _felt _the fox demon that lived in his mind, let alone talk to him. But he was thankful for the company, and gladly conversed with his mind's tenant.

'_I may be used to it, Youko, but that doesn't mean I like it. With you being the ever-stoic recluse that you are, I never have anyone to talk to. For a change—'_He hesitated a bit, but then continued. _'For a change, I'd like to have someone around all the time.'_

Their conversation was interrupted as a lightly-accented voice rang out through the damp April air.

"Suichi-kun!"

Snapping his gaze upwards, Suichi gave a wide smile as he saw a white-haired boy running towards him, waving.

"Ryou-san! You made it!"

Ryou skidded to a halt next to the emerald-eyed boy, and doubled over, panting. "Gosh . . . I'm . . . so sorry . . . the Japanese teacher . . . caught me . . . and she was talking . . . and she wouldn't shut up. . ." Suichi let out a laugh.

"It is alright. I'm just glad you showed up."

Suddenly, another boy appeared beside Ryou, and Suichi was startled. He hadn't even seen him come up! Ryou, catching his surprised glance, smiled.

"Suichi-kun, I'd like you to meet Malik Ishtal, my best friend. Malik, this is Suichi Minamono, the boy I was telling you about."

The mysterious Malik bowed respectfully. "Hajimemashite?" Somehow, the Japanese words coming out of the boy's mouth just didn't seem to fit, and when Suichi took time to examine the boy, he realized why.

Malik was absolutely, one-hundred-percent Oriental. He had dark mocha skin, Arab designs drawn under his narrow, small eyes, and gold bangles around his arms and neck. There were strange things about him, however, like his shoulder-length, sun-kissed blonde hair, and his crystalline lavender eye color. His very aura was exotic, and he smelled of cinnamon and allspice. Standing next to this tropical god, Suichi couldn't help but feel rather plain-looking.

"H-hajimemashite? Very nice to meet you, Ishtal-san." He bowed back. Introductions now over, Ryou plopped down on the grass, motioning for his companions to do the same. Smiling, Suichi dropped to the ground loudly as well, but Malik opted to gracefully lower himself on a nearby stump.

Ryou rolled his eyes at his friend's anti-social antics. "He's a little shy," Ryou whispered to Suichi, chuckling. "Give him a little time, and he'll be friendly soon."

"I can hear you, you know," the boy muttered, clearly annoyed. He crossed his arms and exhaled sharply. "And I'm not shy." He averted his eyes to the ground.

Suichi tried to delicately turn his chuckles into coughs, while Ryou rolled his eyes again. "Sure, sure, you Egyptian _anti-social_ scarab-beetle," he stated, making the tanned boy scowl. Suichi smiled.

"You remind me a lot of someone I know . . . he's very quiet, and doesn't like to be around new people . . . when you scoff like that, and cross your arms, you look exactly like him."

Ryou was interested. "What is his name? Where is he?"

Suichi adopted a soft, sad smile, and stared off into space. "He was an old friend of mine . . . his name was Hiei. He left shortly before I did, and went very far away . . . I haven't heard from him since."

Ryou patted Suichi awkwardly on the back. "S-sorry," he apologized. Suichi broke out of his daydream, and shook his head.

"No, no, it's alright."

There was awkward silence between the three; and then, surprisingly, Malik spoke.

"One of our friends just recently left, too. We haven't heard from him. I don't even know where he went. Ryou, what ever became of Kaiba?"

Ryou shrugged. "I don't have even the slightest clue. He just . . . up and left. Just like that. Didn't even say goodbye to anyone. One day he was here, and the next—gone. No one knows what's become of him. I'm actually a little worried for him," he said nervously.

Suichi looked thoughtful. "Though I don't know the nature of this, 'Kaiba' you speak of, I do find it strange that anyone would just leave without telling any of their friends. Does he have no family you can talk to?"

Malik gravely shook his head. "He was orphaned at a young age."

Suichi cringed. "Oh. . ."

"And he only has one brother, Mokuba-chan, who is gone as well," Ryou added.

"Odd," Suichi said, stroking his chin. He suddenly got a far-off look on his face, and reviewed what had just been said. _'This seems fishy . . . someone who just disappears one day? Could be the work of the demon I'm supposedly hunting. . .if that's the case, I need to start searching for clues as soon as possible, to save this human.'_

Suddenly, he was aware of someone smacking him. "Suichi-kun! Snap out of it!"

"Huh?"

Ryou huffed. "Finally. You lost transmission with earth there, for a moment. Oh, and by the way, your cell phone is ringing."

Startled, Suichi looked down to find that his demon-world compact—not his cell phone—was ringing, indicating the Prince of the Makai wanted a word with him. Turning to his new friends, he excused himself.

"I'm sorry, but I must take this. I'll be right back—you can eat without me." Then, getting up, he walked a safe distance away, opening up the compact. The infant's large face greeted him on the visual screen.

"Kurama, how goes it? Got a whiff of the perpetrator yet?" Koenma said, obviously cheerful about something. Suichi just sighed.

"I really haven't been able to do any tracking yet—I'm still getting settled in with my host family. I should be set soon, and then I will start patrolling the forests at night, to search for it," he explained. Koenma nodded.

"See that you do. We don't know how powerful this guy is, and the humans are most likely in danger there. Speaking of humans; how's the school? You **are** putting up a human front, right?"

"What do you mean, 'putting up a front'? I **am** human, in case you have forgotten. I am not Youko," Suichi huffed. Koenma grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I know, I know. So . . . the other spirit detectives wanted to say hello, and tell you that they miss your sanity—" Here, the Prince laughed "—Because god knows you're the only one who has it in that group—and there's still no word from Hiei."

Suichi's chuckling faded instantly. "S-still no word? I never told him I was leaving . . . he could have stopped by my house. Are your agents still watching it for me?"

Koenma nodded sadly. "No traces of that damn Jaganshi anywhere. Sorry, Kurama."

Suichi nodded. "A-alright. I have to go, Koenma. I'll call you later."

He snapped the compact shut, and stashed it away in his uniform, sighing sadly. _'Hiei. . .where are you now?'_

"Suichi-kun! The bell is going to ring soon! Come over here and eat, for God's sake!"

Stashing the sadness away in his heart, Suichi put on a smile and returned to his new friends, thankful for their companionship . . . but especially the presence of the reclusive Egyptian, who reminded him so much of—

'_Hiei. . .'_

* * *

><p>Suichi stepped into the clearing, raising his eyes to the circle of night sky visible from over the tops of the trees. A full moon glowed brightly, banded by a few dark gray clouds floating lazily past. He inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes blissfully at the feeling of fresh, crisp air.<p>

'_It's so beautiful out. . .'_

Suichi smiled at the awed comment from his counterpart. _'Do you want to come out? You could enjoy the night so much better in person. . .'_

Youko seized control instantly, changing their body into that of a fox demon. Suichi suddenly found himself in the passenger seat, seeing everything like normal, but unable to do anything. _'That was fast.'_ He laughed at the kitsune's eagerness.

"It's not often I get to be solely myself, Suichi," he stated, running his hands up and down his torso. "Ahh, how I've missed my body. . ."

Suichi rolled his eyes. _'You're being melodramatic, Youko. You were just out the other day.'_

But he found himself being ignored, as the kitsune began to run.

Youko lost himself to his exhilaration—he ran faster and faster, challenging himself by dodging trees and rocks with more speed. _'I've let myself go . . . I could've done this faster in my prime. . .'_ He pushed himself to go more rapidly.

'_Whoa! Careful, Youko! That's still my body; you know . . . there's no such thing as collision-insurance for a human!'_

Youko chuckled. "Live a little, Suichi!" However, he slowed down, and soon came to a stop. He was panting heavily, and his bangs were sticking to his forehead. "That was fun! I feel so . . . so FREE!" He yelled out exuberantly, twirling in place. Inside, the joy was catching, and Suichi found himself laughing along with his precious partner.

'_You __**are**__ free! The famous Youko Kurama answers to no one! Except me, that is!'_

"You wish!"

No one was higher than Youko that night; not even the shining moon, winking in the sky.

* * *

><p>Deep in that self-same forest, two white ears perked up slightly, their owner lifting his head to the sky. The deep golden-brown eyes that looked to the moon slid out-of-focus, listening intently.<p>

Hesitantly, a voice sounded from his consciousness. _"Dark Side? What is the matter?"_

Bakura the dog demon sat up from where he had been lounging on a large boulder, looking about almost-confusedly. "I—I sensed something again, just now . . . something's . . . here. . ." He perked his ears again. "Something that's not human."

A small bit of fear leaked through the link, coming from Bakura's Bright Side. _"A-are you s-sure?"_

Bakura nodded firmly, now fully standing up. "There is no mistake. I smell it now. It's a demon's youkai. A demon is here, in this forest, right now."

Now Ryou was really frightened. _"A-another demon? Why is it here? What c-could it want? What's youkai?"_

Bakura sent feelings of comfort to his host, soothing the teen. "It's alright, Bright Side. I am here, and nothing will harm you as long as it remains that way." His Light being somewhat placated, the white dog continued. "Youkai is what gives demons life—it is like their aura, constantly haloing the body and giving them power. You as well, thanks to me, have youkai; though it is but a small amount."

Bakura jumped from the rock and landed silently on his feet, his bushy white tail twitching in mild excitement.

"Let's go hunting, shall we Brightside?"

* * *

><p>Bakura crept silently through the forest, his ears perking up at any sound and his eyes darting around for any slight movement. His heart was racing, exhilarated at the idea of a chase. He could sense the visitor more strongly now, meaning he was getting closer. . .<p>

'_Dark side, don't just rush right in for the kill, okay? It could turn out to be harmless.'_

Bakura huffed at his Light's fretting. "If it is weak enough to be called 'harmless,' then I **will** kill it—just to put it out of its misery." He laughed.

'_Please don't! Just see if it's dangerous first, alright? And besides—wouldn't it be nice to have a friend like . . . well, like _**you**_? Someone I can reveal you to? Wouldn't it be nice to have someone like that?'_

"No," Bakura stated flatly.

Ryou sighed miserably.

* * *

><p>Youko's pale eyes traveled up to the sky thoughtfully, as he lay in a large clearing in the grass. Chilly nightly wind blew across his body, making goose bumps form along his arms.<p>

'_Youko? What is it?'_

The Ghost Fox Kurama rolled over onto his stomach, and rested his chin on his hands. "I sense a demon approaching."

Suichi was immediately alarmed. _'Get up! Hide! This could be the demon I was sent to arrest!'_

Youko grudgingly got up from his comfortable position on the ground, and went to hide in the nearest tree.

"This is dumb. Why don't I just kill it and save us both precious hours?" He hissed angrily, folding his arms like a stubborn child. "I wanna have fun tonight, not be on a stakeout. This is your job, not mine."

'_Be silent! It'll hear you,'_ Suichi chastised.

And so Youko curled up in the tree, deciding to humor Suichi by keeping watch. Five minutes passed without much excitement, until the kitsune became restless. He discreetly shifted his position, curling his tail over the bough and stretching out his legs along the length of the branch.

". . . .Suichi, I'm bored."

'_Shut up!'_

Rolling his eyes, the kitsune shut his mouth.

Meanwhile, Bakura the Inu Demon was still caught up in his little hunt, now more excited then ever.

"It hid it's aura just now! It's getting harder to track down. But I won't give up! It can't hide from me!"

Bakura sniffed at the air, trying to catch a scent. "Damn! There are too many human presences here! Their stench is ruining the trail!"

Suddenly, he heard it. A faint voice, at the very outer reaches of his hearing range.

"—ichi, I'm bored."

The dog smirked, showing his pearly-white fangs. "Gotcha!" And it sounded like there was more than one of them. _'Excellent!'_

He immediately started running in the direction the voice had sounding, being sure not to snap even the littlest twig. His yellow eyes flitted in every direction, looking for any signs of life. . .

Bakura stopped a few feet before a large clearing, sniffing delicately at the air again and crouching low to the ground.

'_It's. . . . . .Here. . . .'_

'_It's here, Suichi.'_

Suichi was immediately set on guard, even in consciousness. _'Where?'_

Youko sniffed at the air, and then pointed one clawed finger at the bushes on the other side of the clearing. _'Over there.'_

In the said bushes, Bakura crouched even lower, and his trained burgundy eyes immediately settled on a white figure resting in a tree branch on the opposite side of the clearing. Its features were indistinguishable, but its body looked thin and useless. Bakura grinned as it pointed a finger directly at his hiding spot, and he felt its eyes tuning in on him. _'So maybe it isn't as weak as it appears, if it can sense me and still be so relaxed . . .'_

Suddenly, it called out to him. "Hey, you! Are ya gonna come out, or do I have to go getcha?" Bakura could tell it was grinning, and he grinned too. He stood up.

"Naw, I'm coming. That bush had thorns and I was getting uncomfortable anyway." He clasped his arms behind his back and strolled into the clearing casually, gaining some of his old cockiness back. The demon in the tree snorted loudly and jumped to the ground beneath his tree, just as self-assured as his guest.

Finally, both sets of demonic eyes met, and held gazes for a few milliseconds.

—And then both of them were reduced to snarling masses of raised fur, claws outstretched and eyes deadly narrow.

"Y-You! You're a fox!" Bakura shouted loudly, his animal instincts kicking into high gear as his mind supplied him lovely images of bloody fox carcasses, all ready for the taking. He unconsciously grinned, showing off perfect white fangs.

"And you're a filthy _dog_," Youko grunted, _his_ instincts immediately preparing for his body to run. Sure, he was Plant Manipulator demon, Master class—but you just didn't ignore the instincts. No, Youko had come to meet his species' ancestral enemy, and his instincts were telling him to get the hell out of there. And he was ready to comply.

'_Don't you dare move a muscle, you coward,'_ Suichi warned.

Youko, keeping keen eyes on the mutt, was no longer in the mood to deal with his other self. '_Shut up! Do you want to come out here and face this thing all by your lonesome?'_

Bakura, tired of waiting for the fox to move, slowly shifted his feet further apart and crouched predatorily, claws digging into the turf beneath him and tearing it to shreds. He grinned, his canines glinting eerily in the moonlight.

"Well, well, well. And what do we have here? You're trespassing in my territory, fox," Bakura stated dangerously, grinning madly.

Youko was angry, skittish, and annoyed, all at the same time. "O-oh? So what! You must have _missed_ a spot. After all, I didn't smell any _mongrel urine_ when I came here … so you might wanna redecorate," Youko shot haughtily back.

Bakura snarled. "Say that again, filthy fox!"

Inside Bakura's consciousness, Ryou smiled awkwardly. _'Well, this is nice. S-see, Bakura? It's a member of your family! A fox is in the c-canine family, right?'_

His only response was a throaty growl.

Youko, gaining more confidence as his instincts faded away, put his hands cockily on his hips. "I'll say it all night long if you want me to, mutt." He pointed to the tree that he had occupied but a short while ago. "You. Missed. A. Spot."

Bakura's eyes nearly turned red in his anger. Youko noticed right away as the ground beneath his feet started to quake with small tremors. _'So … an earth manipulator, eh?'_ He reached up into his long silver mane, and armed himself with a rose seed. "You gonna make a fight out of this, mongrel?"

Youko barely had time to blink before the earth ruptured explosively right below him, the debris nearly taking off his tail as Youko back flipped cleanly into the tree he had been sitting in before the other demon's appearance, panting furiously. He _hated _being caught off-guard. . .

Bakura approached the fox angrily, stepping neatly over the newly-created fissure in the ground. "You're going to regret fighting me, fox. Because I'm going to kill you," he hissed.

Narrowing his vulpine yellow eyes in a glare, Youko snapped his wrist up, releasing his weapon of choice from its small, green prison. "_Au contraire_, stupid dog," Youko shot back, raising himself gracefully from his crouching position on the limb and brandishing his rose whip experimentally. "Yours is the life that ends tonight."

They both moved at the same time.

Youko was the faster one. With a flurry of lightning-fast attacks, Youko brought his whip down copiously on the white-haired dog, forcing him to abandon his offensive charge and settle into defensive maneuvers.

Snap after snap of the whip, Bakura was forced to react: to dodge or face defeat. _'Ugh . . . this fetid fox is stronger than he looks . . .'_ In the middle of an evasive back-flip, Bakura grinned devilishly. _'But I ain't doing acrobatics all night . . .'_

Just as he was swinging his whip down in a large arc to strike the demon below him, Youko found himself staring down a fast-moving tidal wave of dirt, rocks, and various degrees of debris. Bakura headed the wave, his arms spread out wide in front of him as he released mammoth amounts of youkai to control the solid wave of destruction and add to it's fury.

"Oh, shit!"

Immediately abandoning his attack, Youko landed on a nearby branch and pushed heavily off from it, fighting his momentum from his offensive assault and pulsations that threatened to knock him off balance, coming from the ground and reverberating through the trees.

Inside the fox's mind, Shuichi was disturbed at the fact that he wasn't more concerned for his body's safety . . . and that the only thing running through his mind was—

'_Can you surf?'_

Youko, too busy running for his life from a gigantic wave of earth, only spared his human half a rather nasty curse word.

'_Fine . . . just asking . . . no need to get pissy . . .' _

Bakura's earth-wave had reached it's breaching point, and he jumped to safety as it collapsed upon itself, creating a brand new, one-hundred-foot high hill in the local landscape. He immediately felt alarmed, but had sense enough to know that it wasn't his emotion. Inside, his light side was fretting nonstop about the battle, scared to death for himself, his Darker, and the local community.

'_Bakura! Don't go overboard here, alright? The topography will change immensely if you keep using attacks like that! Someone could get hurt!'_

Bakura huffed, a great deal of his youkai spent. _'I do believe . . . that _**that**_ is the point, Bright Side,'_ he huffed, eyes trained on an equally-still silver form at the bottom of the newly-formed small mountain. _'To hurt him.'_

A hundred feet below, Youko was staring up at the latest addition to the area's landscape with no small amount of astonishment, wondering what would've happened if he'd fallen victim to such a powerful attack.

'_Damn . . . that mongrel had more power up his sleeve than I was aware of …'_ His golden eyes tuned in on the heavily-panting form above him_. 'But it looks as if the poor puppy is pooped,' _he smiled nastily. _'Poor puppy …'_

Using the numerous tree branches and roots that were sticking out of the mass of rock, Youko deftly hopped up the hill, landing about a hundred yards away from the exhausted Inu demon. With exaggerated movements, Youko rose from his crouch on top of a tree trunk that was completely horizontal; a victim of the attack.

"Look and see what awful things you've done to these poor plants," Youko pouted, leaning down languidly and gently brushing a clawed finger over the uprooted tree he was standing on. In wake of his finger, morning glories and Asian oak ferns rose out of the destroyed bark and twisted themselves freely around the tree, carpeting it in small, lavender flowers and lush greenery.

Bakura brutally murdered his amazement, unwilling to show the fox that he was impressed at the display of power. He himself was ignorant of the respect his earlier attack had won him from the silver fox before him.

They were at a standstill. Both simply gazed upon each other, indulging on their surprise and wonder at the show of strength by the other. Finally, when it seemed that nothing would happen on its own, Youko posed a question to the Inu demon.

"Who are you, anyway? What business do you have in the human world?"

Bakura, still panting, realized the fight was over and let himself rest, sitting down onto a large rock jutting out from a copse of upturned trees. Youko followed suit, swinging his legs over the side of the tree trunk and leaning back on his hands lazily.

"I really don't see how it's any of your business, fox," Bakura snarled, though it lacked strength due to Bakura's apparent exhaustion. Youko just smiled humorlessly in response.

"You see, I do believe it **is** my business, dog, because Shui-err, I mean _**I**_ represent a branch of the underworld government known as the Rekai Tantei, and I've been sent here with the distinct orders to arrest you for trespassing in the human world," he explained smugly. "So unless you have a good reason for being here, I'm dragging your ass all the way to the Rekai to see Koenma," he added.

Bakura was immediately set more on-guard at Youko's words. "You're with the Spirit Detectives?" His gaze shifted nervously around, and his eyebrows furrowed. _'This isn't good …'_

Ryou felt his Darker's nervousness and was, consequently, put on guard himself. _'What is it, Bakura? What is a Spirit Detective? Why are you so nervous?'_

'_A Spirit Detective, or Rekai Tantei, is like your human CIA. They work directly for the Makaian government; not only that, but they take their orders right from the King of Hell himself! And his bratty kid, Koenma … which translates into __**bad news**__ for me, seeing as I was far from a saint when alive in the Makai …'_

Ryou's consciousness shifted uncomfortably in the depths of Bakura's mind. _'You were a thief, weren't you?'_

Bakura snorted. _'A thief, a murderer, a con-artist … you name it, I did it.'_

Ryou cringed. _'Uh-oh. And this demon's a government agent?'_

Bakura nodded. _'Uh-oh is spot-on.'_

Youko raised an eyebrow. "Hey, are you having a philosophical argument with yourself or what? Answer the question; I don't have all night! What is your reason for being here?"

Bakura snapped out of his conversation with his light, a little disoriented. "W-what?"

Youko sweat-dropped. Where was the fierce Inu demon he had been battling with only a short while ago? Now, the dog seemed like a total airhead!

"I'll only ask one more time, mongrel, so try to pay attention … What … is your reason … for being here?" Youko spelled out slowly, making sure he had one-hundred-percent of the dog's attention.

Bakura didn't quite know how to proceed. His demonic instincts weren't helping at all; only giving him gory mental images of ripping the fox's head off and eating it (which although tempting, _wasn't_ an option on a Rekai Tantei.) Ryou wasn't helping, worried that his Darker was going to get arrested (and for some reason thinking that Bakura would get boiled alive as a sick sort of demonic-capitol punishment … no matter how much Bakura told him he was being ridiculous …) and his _mind_ wasn't helping, because it was too busy graphically entertaining Ryou's idea of being boiled alive …

In conclusion, all Bakura could do was sit there and stare at Youko like an idiot.

Youko sighed, glancing up over the treetops. The faint lilac and indigo of sunrise was starting to seep across the sky, indicating they didn't have much time left. He had to get his human side back to his host family, before he was missed. He turned his attention back to the dumbstruck Inu demon.

"Okay, look. I've got to get going; it's almost daylight. But I'll tell you what; meet me back here at exactly midnight tomorrow night, and we'll conclude this conversation. That gives you all day to have all the conversations you want with yourself, and decide how you want to answer my question." Youko's face suddenly became sinister, as his reputation as Kurama the Ghost Fox kicked in. "But I must warn you that if you attempt to run, I **will** go after you … and I **will** catch you … and if _that_ happens—may Kami have mercy on your soul," he hissed, quite seriously. With a face like that, Bakura had no choice but to believe him.

Youko's face lost seriousness, and he stood up and stretched. "Well, I haven't had a fight that good in quite a while … you have impressed me, dog. I look forward to arresting you …" He gave Bakura a wink, and Bakura snarled in his general direction.

"And you fight like a female, fox," Bakura snapped back, now in a foul mood. "I kept expecting you to scream out, _'Flower Power!'_ or something gay like that during our fight!"

Youko lost his smile. He crouched down as if to lunge for the white-haired inu—but thought better of it and straightened again. _"You_ … you're lucky I have somewhere to be right now …" glaring one last time, the silver fox turned his back on Bakura. "Don't forget. Midnight, tomorrow. In this exact spot. Don't make me come find you."

With those short, barked orders, Youko hopped through the tree canopy and disappeared.

In his wake, Bakura slumped over tiredly, putting his head in his hands.

"What am I going to do? I'm in trouble …."

* * *

><p>...<p>

...

...

.

A lone figure stood in a dark alleyway, leaning up against a dumpster and taking out a cigarette. The figure brought it to his mouth, and lit the end.

"Pretending to be a stupid human . . . what a drag . . ."

The figure inhaled deeply, bringing a large amount of nicotine into his lungs. He blew a perfect smoke-ring.

Tucking the cig under his lip and stuffing his hands into his pockets, he stalked out of the alley, and under a lamp post. He was finally illuminated; revealing a thin figure, sparkling blonde hair, and pretty lilac eyes.

"I feel so tainted. I even _smell_ like a human! Disgusting." He took the human cigarette out of his mouth and let it fall to the ground, where he smashed it with his heel. "**Disgusting**," he repeated, and started walking away.

Suddenly a voice called out to him from a nearby alleyway, and the pretty-eyed boy found himself surrounded by a gang of vicious-looking humans.

"Hey, you; pretty-boy! What's a pretty face like yours doing in such a shady part of town? You're likely to get hurt," a voice hissed seductively, as the gang members circled around him like scavengers around rotten meat. Malik rolled his eyes. _Great_. First girls, now gay _gang members_!

"I'm not some cute **girl**—and I am perfectly able to take care of myself, thank you. So why don't you go prey on some helpless little schoolgirl, eh?" He tried to push past them, but they tightened their ring around him.

"What's the rush, doll-face? Don't 'cha wanna have fun wit' us?" Another said, reaching in and pinching Malik's cheek hardly. Malik snarled and slapped the offending hand away.

"Scum! Don't touch me!"

The gang seemed to have fun teasing him; since the pretty-eyed boy could not face them all at once, the person who was behind him at the time would touch him—pull at his hair or pinch him—Malik grew frustrated, thus missed the foot that was strategically placed right behind him—he tripped and fell surprised to the ground.

The gang drew in all around him, and Malik felt his chin grabbed as the leader lowered himself to their beautiful hostage. "Yes, we'll have lots of fun with you," he whispered, and slowly started to lower his scummy lips onto Malik's.

Malik's rage was sparked—he felt his demon energy level grow, and his very countenance grew demonic as he lost control. His hair flew up in long spikes and his light lavender eyes grew to a violent shade of mauve. His body transformed . . .

The leader released him and backed away in fear, along with the rest of the gang. "Wh-what are you?" He screamed, his back hitting the alleyway wall as he was cornered by a demonic-Malik.

Malik snarled, and started to walk slowly towards him. "Remember my name, human, so that you can tell Enma who sent you!" he hissed throatily, and grabbed the cowering leader's throat.

"Marik . . ."

The only noises after that were pained screams. . .

The next morning, all that was left of the gang members were piles of bloody flesh laying and rotting in the old alleyway, attracting flies.

* * *

><p>Very old beginning of a cross-over that I recently re-discovered and have thus decided to share! No chance of this ever seeing a second chapter, but if enough people request it I can put up a detailed synopsis.<p> 


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